Vauxhall Grandland Plug-in Hybrid-E Review

Range

If you get into the habit of plugging your Grandland Hybrid-e in and leave home with a fully charged battery, you could in theory go 39 miles without having to use the petrol engine at all. In reality this is likely to be nearer to 20 miles on average though, which could still be enough to get you to work and back. Even if the petrol engine does kick in, the total fuel cost will still be far less than in a full petrol or diesel car. It’s a shame the range isn’t a little longer though as bigger tax benefits kick in if the official figure is above 40 miles.

Battery

At 13.2kWh the Grandland’s battery is about average for this type of car. For example, a Volkswagen Tiguan eHybrid has 10.4kWh and a Ford Kuga PHEV has 14.8kWh. The Grandland’s battery is housed under the rear seats and boot floor, which does rob some of the luggage space compared to the petrol and diesel versions.

Charging

Charging the Grandland is easy enough - use the supplied ‘Mode 3’ cable to plug into a wallbox or public charging point and connect the other end to a socket under a flap on the left rear of the car. But don’t expect it to be quick. As standard the car only has the capacity to accept charge at 3.7kW, so it will take three and a half hours to charge fully. There’s the option to upgrade to 6.6kW capacity but it costs a whopping £500.

There’s no option to accept a rapid charge either, so if you want to take on some power when you are out and about it will only be at the slow rates.